IGN Comics: Interesting. Would there possibly be more crossover with Dark Avengers since Bendis has been doing so much work with the Sentry lately?

Fraction: No, it boils to a head over the next couple of issues. And then starting with Uncanny #518 it becomes a foremost story. It's cleared up in the pages of Uncanny.

IGN Comics: I'm also curious about Moonstar, because if pop culture has taught us anything, it's that you can't make that kind of a deal with a god and not have to pay a heavy price in return. Are we going to be seeing the fallout from her bargain with Hela?

Fraction: Yeah, nobody makes a deal with the devil and gets out clean. And that's going to play out n the pages of New Mutants.

IGN Comics: But that's a New Mutants plot point as opposed to an Uncanny plot point?

Fraction: Sure, sure. She's been one of the main characters in New Mutants, so that story will be dealt with over there.

IGN Comics: We didn't see much of Beast in this last issue, and I assume that's because he's still suffering from his ordeal as a prisoner. Is he going to be the main focus of issue #515 like the cover would suggest?

Fraction: Not the main focus, but yeah, Beast's recovery from this comes to the forefront. How Beast reacts to the aftermath of Exodus becomes a big plot point over the next few months. It's a big time of crisis for him right now.

IGN Comics: Is he going to have any sort of reduced presence in the series because of his new role in the S.W.O.R.D. Book? Does that affect you and your plans at all?

Fraction: It's a shared reality, so it affects us. Keep reading.

IGN Comics: Pretty much since the beginning of this you've been teasing that the X-Men are going to be in a very different place by the end of Exodus. We've seen characters like Magneto and Cable attempt to create a haven for mutants with things like Asteroid M and Providence. With this new island setup Cyclops has, how would you say this differs from past attempts?

Fraction: Well, it's half a mile off the coast of San Francisco. And it came after a fight with, ostensibly, the US government. And there are less than 200 mutants left. The reality of Utopia or Nation X or whatever we're going to call it going forward – these are the questions we'll be exploring in the "Nation X" storyline. What is this? Where are they living? Is it an embassy? Is it a reservation? Is it a prison camp? Is it a sovereign state? What does it mean to be so close to US shores?

IGN Comics: And I assume there's always a level of danger in bringing together so many of the remaining mutants and placing them in one spot. Is Cyclops still placing a big target over the mutant race by doing this?

Fraction: Yeah, I think while not quite as dangerous as living in a house, everyone's still in one place. That's a big thing. And someone is going to take advantage of that very quickly.

IGN Comics: So is "Nation X", the title of this next story arc, referring to this new island?

Fraction: Yes.

IGN Comics: And you said last time that Cyclops is really the standout character, but this is also what brings Magneto back into the series. Is he drawn into the conflict because they're using his old Asteroid M base? Does he have issues with that?

Fraction: The answer is really going to be to a degree. It's not so much, "This is my moon base!" but rather what Cyclops has been able to accomplish is what brings Magneto back. But whether or not Cyclops and Magneto view what Cyclops has accomplished as being the same thing remains to be seen.

IGN Comics: With the crossover done now, can you go into greater detail about the premise of The List: X-Men?

Fraction: The List issue is really Osborn wanting to extract revenge on Namor. It's a grudge issue. It's Osborn's plan for dealing with an Atlantean insurgency. There's no strategic or military or tactical value in him unleashing it when and how he does – other than revenge. It's Osborn as a monomaniacal super-villain trying to inflict as much harm as possible on an enemy because he dislikes him. Whereas the other List issues tend to have a strategic or political import, this is down and dirty, tit-for-tat revenge. We get to see a hint of what it's going to be like for Namor to be with the X-Men.

IGN Comics: Now that he's attracted the wrath of Osborn, is he going to be more of a permanent fixture on the team?

Fraction: Yes. As of The List, Namor has joined the X-Men. Well, inasmuch as he would join anyone, let alone surface dwellers.

IGN Comics: We've just had Emma and Namor give Osborn a giant middle finger. The Hood is pretty much out of the game now, and Doom and Loki are sort of off in the corner cooking up their own little schemes. Have we basically seen the end of Osborn's Cabal now?

Fraction: Not the end of it, but it sure seems like it's starting to come apart.

IGN Comics: Thanks, Matt. I'm sure we'll talk more about this in a couple weeks.